Media statement by Teresa Kok, Member of Parliament for Seputeh, Senior Exco of the State of Selangor and DAP Selangor Chairperson, at Kaula Lumpur on 14th December 2012.
Two days ago, the New Straits Times (NST) published a news article which reported that I have lost to the incumbent DAP National Women’s wing Chief Chong Eng, who is also member of parliament for Bukit Mertajam, in the DAP’s first ever, national Women’s section election.
I was indeed shocked and deeply perturbed to read the news article which was written by the NST’s political editor Shahrum Sayuthi entitled “DAP’s Lims sweat over dissents”.
I wish to state categorically that I did not contest for the Women’s chief position in the DAP’s (first ever) national Women’s section election on 9 December 2012. I fail to understand how on earth would I have lost to Chong Eng if I did not contest in the first place?
This reflects very badly on NST’s severe lack of professionalism. It is also a serious breach of journalistic ethics. NST is clearly out of line.
I strongly condemned such an irresponsible and unethical writing of such, as it is tantamount to false reporting which is clearly actionable.
I therefore demand that the writer Shahrum Sayuthi and the NST immediately retract the above references to me and also simultaneously issue a public apology and publish it in all publications of the NST group. I reserve all my legal rights.
Teresa Kok
I do not think you should worry too much about journalism in Malaysia, especially when it comes to journalists from the media owned by Umno.
These medias are still around because of the bottomless funding of Umno who in turn is getting an endless supply of funds from their ‘contracts’.
If not for these fundings, just on the recent awards alone, the courts are awarding even though they were only a fraction of what they should have been, to the many suits they would have gone bust long time ago. But then we are living in Malaysia where it is well known the kind of journalists and editors the country is able to produce especially if the journalists are from the media owned by Umno. Have you ever heard of these so called journalists been awarded or well rated by the international market ?
The NST (being owned by UMNO) has lost all sense of factual reporting. I was totally aghast reading this piece of big fat lie when it appeared the other day. All right-thinking Malaysians are used to NST only reporting negative news about Pakatan Rakyat, particularly the DAP; positve ones are glaringly absent in its contents.
Many have already dumped this so-called first national English newspaper in the country. Its readers have drastically declined leading to a poor less than 100,000 copies daily circulation as compared to its once heyday circulation of over 300,000 copies. We won’t regret a bit not reading it – it’s all trash anyway.
NST writer must have read the wrong newspaper; or might have heard rumours about your loss to Chong Eng, when you did not even contest. Teresa Kok, you should do what is proper: ask for retracion and an open apology> Give him two weeks or one week for a reply. If he fails to do what is proper, then move on to the next step.Procedure is important: give him a chance first! If he is stupid enough and fails to act fast, then go to step 2!